Research Areas

Research in Earth Sciences

UCL Earth Sciences aims to pursue world-class research into the processes at work on and within the Earth and planets; we seek to understand the past revealed by their investigation and understood in terms of the laws of physics, chemistry and biology. We aim to do so across the discipline, spanning the dynamics of the Earth and planets, the materials that compose them and their properties, present and past processes occurring at their surfaces, the evolution of life and the environment, and the applied geosciences of pollution, natural hazards and resources.

We study how the mechanical, physical and transport properties of
Earth’s crust determine its response to tectonic forces and the
transfer of matter and energy from and to other elements of the Earth
system – atmosphere, hydrosphere, cryosphere and mantle. more

Our research addresses the mechanisms and processes that underpin
natural hazards, the prediction,
forecasting and monitoring of hazardous geophysical events, and community preparedness via
effective early warning, risk communication and improved hazard and risk
perception. more

Our research is focussed on the study of sediment and fossil archives
using complimentary techniques (stratigraphy, sedimentology,
geochemistry, palaeontology) and shared laboratories. Our aim is to
understand the history of Earth’s life and climate, and the interactions
between the two in both the marine and terrestrial realms. more

We study the role of the cryosphere in Earth’s present climate. The
work is pursued through fluid-dynamic and thermodynamic theory, laboratory experiments, computer
models, field experiments and
satellite observation. We aim to bring these
techniques to bear on the key uncertainties introduced by the presence
of ice in predicting changes to Earth’s sea level and ocean
circulation. more

Our research covers a wide range of areas spanning the Earth’s inner
core, outer core, lower mantle, upper mantle, the lithosphere, the
surfaces and interiors of the Moon, Mars and Venus, meteorites, and,
more recently, the evolution and interiors of the icy moons such as
Titan. The overarching rationale is to understand the properties,
behaviour and evolution of the Earth and the other planetary bodies, and
their place within the solar system. more

We are part of the Institute for Earth and Planetary Sciences

The joint UCL-Birkbeck Institute for Earth and Planetary Sciences (IEPS) takes full advantage of the wider strengths of the respective Universities through engagement with inter-disciplinary research centres and institutes, including the Institute for Origins via our leadership of the Centre for Planetary Science, and the UCL Grand Challenges in Global Health and Sustainable Cities.